JAY IRWIN, an Alpine Link Corporation partner, is president of CBST Adventures (www.cbstadventures.com). After a fruitful and successful 23-year career in the computer software industry, something big was on the horizon: Transformation.
An adventurous soul who is determined to inspire through wilderness experiences, Jay’s transformation from the computer software industry to experiential leadership development didn’t happen overnight. While working with some of the largest computer software companies in the world, Jay started to realize his experience leading and inspiring companies to enhance their productivity and success via software solutions could be easily translated to his main passion: The Wilderness.
In a moment in time, that realization almost never came to fruition. After a morning of skiing in the back country of Colorado, Jay found himself in the wrath of an avalanche. During the 8-hour struggle in the snow and debris, visions of his family kept his heart warm, and as he was pulled out and on his way to surgery, a new life perspective came to fruition: Transforming lives through Adventure.
After a lengthy recovery, Jay set out on a year-long sabbatical to reconnect with the things in his life that mattered, his family and his love of adventure. As the trip came to a close, Jay knew his next step and started to build the pathway of combining his love of adventure with the desire to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Jay now teaches audiences, from inner-city youth to C-Suite executives, how to bring the gifts learned from wilderness experiences into daily life to create powerful and long-lasting change.
Jay is an avalanche survivor, ironman finisher, avid skier,backpacker, and a foolhardy mountain biker, but his underlying passion is being a dedicated father. Jay is also a board member of cityWILD, a local nonprofit bringing adventure and leadership to culturally diverse inner-city youth.
